Main navigation

DIY Bath and Shower Fizzy Bombs

This could, quite possibly, be my new favorite thing to gift to someone ‘just because’. They are an easy way to give a pick-me-up that makes the receiver feel luxurious and pampered.

Bath bombs and shower fizzies start out the same way and use the same materials. Our recipe calls for cream of tartar and not citric acid – like many bath bomb recipes – because citric acid wasn’t easily available to us but cream of tartar was right on the baking aisle. The basic 2 to 1 ratio of baking soda and cream of tar tar makes the recipe easy to remember, too! We suggest wearing plastic gloves (you can find small quantities in the pharmacy section of most grocery stores) and mixing these in a glass or metal bowl since plastic will absorb the essential oils. I used about 20 drops total of essential oil to about 1 cup of baking soda. Spritz the water with a small spray bottle to evenly distribute the liquid, starting with three or four sprays and mixing with your hands, then repeating, until the mixture just clumps together and holds its shape. Shaping them in silicone ice cube or baking trays to makes them easy to remove and package – but you can also gently form them in cookie cutters on parchment. They’ll just need to dry, undisturbed, for about 24 hours. The smaller size makes them perfect for the shower – one in the corner under a gentle shower stream will release the essential oils for a spa-like shower experience when there is no time (or place!) for a full bath. Have half an hour for a bath? Just drop two or three in and they work just like the big bath bombs.

You’ll need:

½ cup Cream of Tartar (This was one whole container that was approx. 2 oz in weight)

1 cup Baking Soda

Small spray bottle filled with fresh water

Essential oils ( I used eucalyptus, lemon and lavender)

plastic gloves

a non-plastic mixing bowl

silicone baking molds or ice trays

1. With gloves on, combine baking soda and cream of tartar in the mixing bowl and break any lumps with your fingers.

2. Add essential oils (start slowly and add until the fragrance is pleasing) and thoroughly mix with your hands to distribute the oils in the dry ingredients. If they clump together, just break up the clump and keep stirring.

3. Spray two or three spritzes (or 4 or 5… just not too much at once) of water over the bowl and mix with your hands. Then repeat, again and again, until the mixture becomes damp and just starts to stick together. You’ll be done when you can squeeze some of the mixture in your hand and it will hold it’s shape when you let go.

4. Pack the mixture firmly into your mould and let it sit, undisturbed for about 24 hours.

5. Gently remove the fizzies and package them. We prefer glass containers, but be mindful of your/the gif tee’s lifestyle and needs.